Enhancing aviation safety and design with eye tracking

Dr. Jie Hu, a professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) School of Design, leads the Intelligent Innovation Design Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory. Dedicated to human factors research, the lab primarily focuses on aviation. Empowered by Tobii’s eye tracking technology, the researchers uncovered new insights that could shape future flight deck designs and pilot training programs.

Advancing flight deck safety through human factors research

As technology advances and human-centered design principles evolve, eye tracking technology is increasingly used to optimize commercial aviation flight deck design. Ph.D. candidate Yaxue Zuo from the Intelligent Innovation Design Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory used Tobii Pro Glasses and Tobii Pro Lab to study pilots’ visual attention during flight phases.

During in-flight operations, pilots must simultaneously process a vast amount of rapidly changing information from instruments, the external environment, and the cockpit. Effective attention allocation is critical for flight safety. Eye tracking technology allows researchers to analyze pilots’ focus and attention distribution in complex tasks and environments. Zuo noted that previous research has primarily focused on the Pilot Flying (PF) role, with less emphasis on the Pilot Monitoring (PM) role.

Capturing real-time eye tracking data in a simulated environment

To bridge this gap, Zuo and her team conducted a study with 10 experienced A320 pilots, averaging 3,171.7 flight hours, performing simulated flight tasks in a full-motion flight simulator. They used two pairs of Tobii Pro Glasses to simultaneously record the eye movements of both the Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Monitoring (PM).

Each pair of pilots completed two rounds of experiments under identical flight conditions. The tasks included cockpit preparation, engine start, taxiing, takeoff, approach, landing, post-landing, and shutdown, with each session lasting approximately 15 minutes. 

Data analysis is made easy with Tobii Pro Lab software

During data analysis, Zuo leveraged Tobii Pro Lab's assisted mapping feature to effortlessly map raw eye tracking video data onto the pilot’s instrument panel images. This allowed for easy division of areas of interest (AOIs) and further quantitative analysis of eye tracking data.

Insights into joint attention allocation 

The research team compared the visual attention distribution of the PF and PM. The PF’s visual attention was primarily focused on the external view, flight controls, and the left display area, while the PM paid more attention to the right display area, checklists, and other monitoring tasks. During specific flight phases, such as takeoff and landing, statistically significant correlations were observed between the PF and PM’s gaze metrics (e.g., fixation duration). However, their visual attention patterns were not significantly correlated in most cases. This independent attention pattern reflects the distinct roles and responsibilities of the PF and PM during flight operations. 

Based on these quantitative findings, the researchers concluded that future flight deck designs should consider differentiated treatment for the PF and PM during certain flight phases and areas. For example, dynamic adjustments to displays and control interfaces could be made to accommodate each role’s visual needs better. 

Building trust through innovation 

The research study was published with the support of the Tobii China Innovation Project, which provided methodological assistance throughout the project’s execution. The collaboration between SJTU and Tobii has not only advanced the understanding of pilot visual attention but also demonstrated the critical role of eye-tracking technology in enhancing aviation safety. By leveraging Tobii's eye-tracking tools, SJTU researchers uncovered new insights that could inform future flight deck designs and pilot training programs. 

Reference

Zuo, Y., Qi, J., Maksimovic, C., Chen, B., Hu, J., & Zhao, Q. (2024). Visual Attention Distribution of Pilot Flying vs. Pilot Monitoring During Different Flight Phases. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 0(0), 1–20.